The quest to explore Colombia’s untouched jungle(bbc.com)
bbc.com
The quest to explore Colombia’s untouched jungle
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180712-the-quest-to-explore-colombias-untouched-jungles
25 comments
> I hope the international community can start looking how we can preserve those forests and all the species that they have.
I fear the "international community" is more likely to be the one eager to exploit those forests.
Your best bet is with the indigenous people, assuming they haven't been already genocided or mestizoized.
I fear the "international community" is more likely to be the one eager to exploit those forests.
Your best bet is with the indigenous people, assuming they haven't been already genocided or mestizoized.
Ideally for the double whammy of also buying the carbon rights for the reforestation that will surely ensue a decade or two later.
So as I feared the unwritten sentence for this headline is "so we can fuck them up, too".
> war indirectly has protected those places but ironically there are people deforesting those places now
There has been a dozen or so national parks in the Amazon that have been wholly abandoned due to FARC threats. War hasn't helped at all.
There has been a dozen or so national parks in the Amazon that have been wholly abandoned due to FARC threats. War hasn't helped at all.
> I hope the international community can start looking how we can preserve those forests and all the species that they have.
Silly gringo question: can foreigners buy the land and lock it up as preserve or something similar?
Silly gringo question: can foreigners buy the land and lock it up as preserve or something similar?
Why emphasize “gringo”? Colombia is nearly 90% European-descent or Mestizo.
The term "gringo" is not offensive in Colombia. It's an extremely casual term that just means non-Latino, usually specifically for North Americans.
> and you can go and visit nowadays
And that is how conservation is defeated.
And that is how conservation is defeated.
The international community? Why should "the international community" meddle in the affairs of the Colombian government?
Those forests belong to the Colombian people, and they indirectly decide what happens to them through the electoral system.
Those forests belong to the Colombian people, and they indirectly decide what happens to them through the electoral system.
I spent 3 months in Colombia back in 2018. Such an amazing country. Amazing people, rich culture, beautiful places... I miss it very dearly and I'm certain I will return.
I will forever remember taking the bus from Bogota to Pereira. The entire trip is filled with images of glorious beauty.
Colombia is a dream country.
I will forever remember taking the bus from Bogota to Pereira. The entire trip is filled with images of glorious beauty.
Colombia is a dream country.
Just want to second this. My wife is Colombian and I lived in Bogotá for a year and go regularly. I've travelled quite a bit of the country by bus -- absolutely recommend doing this! One reason is the variety of landscapes you can see in a single journey.
I agree that crossing the mountains between Bogotá and Pereira is an incredible route. Very long, but if you go and have the time, it's in itself part of the holiday!
I agree that crossing the mountains between Bogotá and Pereira is an incredible route. Very long, but if you go and have the time, it's in itself part of the holiday!
My wife is also Colombian and we spend a lot of time there.
I tell nobody about the town her family is from or the surrounding area. It is breathtakingly beautiful, ecologically fragile, and my lived experience around the world is that there is no form of tourism that does not destroy what it touches.
I don't pretend to be able hold the forces at bay that will eventually pave paradise. But I do what I can not to embolden them.
I tell nobody about the town her family is from or the surrounding area. It is breathtakingly beautiful, ecologically fragile, and my lived experience around the world is that there is no form of tourism that does not destroy what it touches.
I don't pretend to be able hold the forces at bay that will eventually pave paradise. But I do what I can not to embolden them.
Oh wow, I can certainly understand this! My wife's a Rola though so my approach is somewhat different - promoting Bogotá to anyone who'll listen at any opportunity!
If you'd be kind enough to satisfy my curiosity about the wonderful sounding place your wife's from, though, my email is in my profile :-) Perhaps I'll (very respectfully) visit there some time!
If you'd be kind enough to satisfy my curiosity about the wonderful sounding place your wife's from, though, my email is in my profile :-) Perhaps I'll (very respectfully) visit there some time!
When it comes to untouched areas on Earth, does anyone ever ponder whether we should explore them?
What if we took a different approach—fenced them off and left as is, untouchable by anyone for any purpose? What is the cost of unknown to science species or two, compared to environmental impact of scouring every inch of land to find something new?
What if we took a different approach—fenced them off and left as is, untouchable by anyone for any purpose? What is the cost of unknown to science species or two, compared to environmental impact of scouring every inch of land to find something new?
Colombia is just beautiful. Hopefully with the recent marketing push, more investment into sustainable tourism can be developed in the country
Legalize cocaine internationally, make it a export and tourism business.
Problem solved!
Problem solved!
Step one: Stop using the word Jungle.
Why?
They might be raising the distinction between "rain forest" and "jungle".
As I understand it, A rain forest is a tropical forest characterized by a dense canopy that blocks most sunlight from reaching the floor; it has relatively little undergrowth.
A jungle is a tropical forest without a dense canopy, and so has heavy undergrowth. This frequently exists on the edges of a rain forest or in other areas where storms, etc prevent the growth of a dense canopy.
Maybe "jungle" does not apply to much of this land in Colombia?
As I understand it, A rain forest is a tropical forest characterized by a dense canopy that blocks most sunlight from reaching the floor; it has relatively little undergrowth.
A jungle is a tropical forest without a dense canopy, and so has heavy undergrowth. This frequently exists on the edges of a rain forest or in other areas where storms, etc prevent the growth of a dense canopy.
Maybe "jungle" does not apply to much of this land in Colombia?
There is a lot of beautiful places that weren't accesible a few years ago and you can go and visit nowadays, war indirectly has protected those places but ironically there are people deforesting those places now, the government is also trying to access mining and oil resources which can put these places in danger. I hope the international community can start looking how we can preserve those forests and all the species that they have.